Coping With Oral Tongue Cancer and COVID-19 Infection

Berardinis, Rita De; Guiddi, Paolo; Ugolini, Sara; Chu, Francesco; Pietrobon, Giacomo; Pravettoni, Gabriella; Mastrilli, Fabrizio; Chiocca, Susanna; Ansarin, Mohssen; Tagliabue, Marta

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.562502

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Nevertheless, this finding is consistent with the literature ( Swainston et al, 2020 ) and suggests that patients fear the consequences associated with interrupting their regular contacts with the hospital. Such insights are relevant for the management of hospital distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with psychological interventions becoming core components of cancer care protocols ( De Berardinis et al, 2021 ). Future studies could also explore the psychological impact that COVID-19 pandemic had on patients who were undergoing different types of therapies (e.g., chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and adjuvant hormone therapy) to explore differences in distress levels and specific needs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Burden of the Pain: Adverse Mental Health Outcomes of COVID-19 in Women With and Without Cancer

et al. 2022

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a negative psychological impact on the population at scale, yet it is possible that vulnerable patient populations may experience a heavier burden with increased feelings of anxiety and distress. Cancer patients have to trade-off between the fear of exposing themselves to the virus and the need to continue life-saving medical procedures. The present study investigated the prevalence of generalized anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in a population of Italian cancer patients and healthy participants in the months following the COVID-19 outbreak. Using standardized measures of PTSS (impact of event scale revised; IES-R) and generalized anxiety (generalized anxiety scale; GAD-7), we found that patients experienced higher levels of adverse mental health outcomes. Several variables were found to negatively affect PTSS and anxiety in this population, including the younger age of respondents, having children, and the impossibility to attend regular medical check-ups. These findings stress the importance of maintaining a clear and regular communication with patients throughout future waves of the pandemic and ensure continuity of care in this vulnerable population. Furthermore, this study indicates the need to establish psychological interventions aimed at patients with cancer, targeting especially younger generations who are more likely to experience adverse psychological outcomes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Burden of the Pain: Adverse Mental Health Outcomes of COVID-19 in Women With and Without Cancer

et al. 2022

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“…The influence and the role of sex on the activation of the immune system including innate and adaptive mechanisms and on cancer development and suppression is an important area of research. Sex-dependent differences in cancer metabolic pathways and immune response are also being considered and studied to assess whether and how sex could influence cancer prognosis ( 7 , 68 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prognostic role of sex and hemoglobin levels in patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Tagliabue

D’Ecclesiis²,

Berardinis³

et al. 2022

Front. Oncol.

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BackgroundWomen and men differ genetically, biologically (sex) and by social construct (gender), possibly impacting on prognostic factors in predicting cancer survival. Hemoglobin levels and immune system activation are players acting in this scenario which could play a role in partly determining prognosis between patients of different sex/gender (S/G). Here, we investigate these factors in patients affected by tongue squamous cell carcinoma.MethodsThis is an observational retrospective cohort study. We collected tongue cancer patients’ clinical data, including hemoglobin levels and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared between women and men considering confounding and prognostic factors in multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. Stratified analyses were also conducted by sex and tumor stage.Result576 patients, 39.9% women and 60.1% men, were found eligible for the analysis. Men were more often smokers (p<0.001), alcohol consumers (p<0.001), overweight or obese (p<0.001) and undergoing radiotherapy (p=0.002). In multivariate models for stage I-II, men showed half risk of death and relapse compared to women (HR=0.44; 95%CI 0.24-0.81, p=0.009; HR=0.55; 95%CI 0.34-0.87, p=0.01, for OS and DFS respectively). Moreover, low hemoglobin levels appeared to be an independent prognostic factor for women but not for men in terms of both OS and DFS. Specifically, women with low hemoglobin levels showed a worse tumor outcome (HR=2.66; 95%CI 1.50-4.70; HR=2.09; 95%CI 1.24-3.53, for OS and DFS respectively). Low hemoglobin levels appeared to be a poor OS prognostic factor for women at stage I-II (p<0.004) but not for men (p=0.10). Women with advanced stage tumors, NLR>2.37, who did not performed Radiotherapy and with depth of invasion (DOI)> 10 were associated with a significant increase in relapse and death (all p<0.05).ConclusionIn our cohort of patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma, men present better OS and DFS than women with early stages tumors. Low hemoglobin level was an independent prognostic factor for women, especially at early-stage tumors. For advanced stages (III-IV), sex is not a significant factor related to patients’ prognosis.

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“…The diagnosis of oral cancer is one of the most psychologically traumatic events to live through. Among other disturbing (or distressing) aspects, social isolation and altered perception of future prospects are of utmost importance [36] . OTSCC is the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer.…”

Section: Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Tongue cancer: An overview and current update

Aguiñaga¹,

Rangel²,

Elizondo³

et al. 2022

Int. J. Appl. Dent. Sci.

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Introduction: Oral cancer is a prevalent malignancy and, due to frequent mechanical stimulation, the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue ranks first among neoplastic cancer cases and continues to increase. Objective:To analyze the literature on the characteristics of tongue cancer, particularly its epidemiology, etiology, classification, diagnosis and treatment. Methodology: For the literature review, it was performed with electronic exploration by search engines such as: PUBMED, SCOPUS and Google Scholar, with the keywords "Tongue cancer, incidence, etiology, epidemiology, classification, diagnosis, and treatment", based on a specific selection regarding the dates of 2015-2022. Results: The incidence of tongue cancer occurs in the posterolateral portion, with 66% of tongue carcinomas, while, in the ventral and anterior side, in 20%. Its etiology as a fundamental factor for the appearance of tongue cancer are heavy smoking and alcohol consumption, which have a synergistic effect. The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) classification provides the tumor-lymph nodemetastasis (TNM) staging system as a resource for physicians. Diagnostic studies should include a clinical examination, along with biopsy studies, surgery and computed tomography of the neck. The most popular treatment is surgery combined with postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy are of choice. Conclusions: The occurrence of malignant neoplasms in the tongue is becoming more common every day, so it is important to perform recurrent clinical examinations in patients who smoke and consume alcohol, for early detection and to provide a better diagnosis and treatment to the patient.

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Coping With Oral Tongue Cancer and COVID-19 Infection

Cited by 5 publications

References 28 publications

The Burden of the Pain: Adverse Mental Health Outcomes of COVID-19 in Women With and Without Cancer

The Burden of the Pain: Adverse Mental Health Outcomes of COVID-19 in Women With and Without Cancer

The prognostic role of sex and hemoglobin levels in patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Tongue cancer: An overview and current update

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